Crystal Rock Campground, Sandusky OH

Crystal Rock Campground is located in Sandusky, Ohio and within 20 minutes of Lake Erie, Port Clinton, and Cedar Point. There are about 165 sites. We stayed at a full hookup site (G30). There are water/electric sites and primitive sites as well as pull throughs and 12 basic cabins. Our full hookup site was $45/night. We recommend avoiding sites A-16 and A-17 as well as cabins 3 and 4 due to the water treatment station behind. It was a bit noisy. A nice site we would have preferred was A-20. We had adequate cell phone service (Verizon and AT&T). Crystal Rock does not offer cable nor Wi-Fi. It does however, have laundry facilities. With our camper’s antenna, we did pick up about 12 channels. The customer service was great. Originally, our friends were several sites down from us when we made the reservations. However, the owner had two sites right next to each other when we arrived for check-in. It was kind of them to honor our request. The campground has fire pits at the campsites. However, many sites were so close to each other that the fire pit is less than 6 feet from the neighbor’s slideout. BE cautious if you have a fire. Firewood can be purchased for $5/bundle. The camp store is pretty limited in food and camping supplies. Crystal Rock does not accept Good Sam discounts any longer. Check out is 11:00 a.m. Word of caution…due to its proximity to the bay, lake, and swampy area, there are a lot of mosquitos and bugs at Crystal Rock. Bring bug spray and/or citronella candles.

Appearance

Crystal Rock Campground is mostly gravel with the exception of the main road and entrance. The sites were manicured and there was nice landscaping in the front near the office. We particularly liked the bird feeders along the front fence line. The grass was kept and weeds were not prevalent. There is only one set of dumpsters near the front entrance. There was little highway noise and in fact, it was quite peaceful. Unfortunately, the space between the campsites was not adequate. This is our big beef about this campground.

Rating: (One to five lanterns with 5 being the highest)

Family and Pet Friendly

This campground offers a few things for the family. We were disappointed that Crystal Rock did not have a pool. Nor did it have putt-putt. It did however, have a well-kept playground and sand volleyball court. Additionally, there is a game room with video games, air hockey, ping pong, and others. A nice, gem mine is available for the kids too. Next to the playground, there are two sets of corn hole available. On the weekends, there are planned activities. The weekend we were there Crystal Rock had a community corn roast. Hay rides are also available on the weekends.

As far as pets, the campground is spaced out enough to allow for adequate dog walks. We were disappointed that there was not a fenced-in dog area. In the back of the campground, there is a large, grassy field they use for group tent campers. While we were there for 4 nights, the field never was used. We feel that part of that field could be a good location for a fenced-in dog area. Even though it broke the rule, we let our dogs off leash in that field and the boys had a blast.

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Area Attractions

There is a ton to do in the Sandusky area. Cedar Point is a 20-minute drive as is Port Clinton. Lake Erie and the bay are less than 10 minutes away. East Harbor State Park has lots of trails, a beach on Lake Erie, and a bike trail. Waterparks, like Great Wolf Lodge and Monsoon Lagoon are prevalent throughout this area. There are a few restaurants we would suggest; The Docks in Port Clinton and Mon Ami Winery and Restaurant. There are three bars we visited worth visiting. Two Cans Tiki bar is great place within 5 minutes of the campground. http://www.2canstikibar.com/ The Cove is another bar near the campground. On Catawba Island, we suggest visiting Catawba Inn if you like live music, food and drinks. http://www.catawbainn.com/

A well-known attraction in this area is Put-in-Bay. This is one, big party island with a vast number of bars, restaurants, and gift shops. People getting around by foot, bikes, and golf cart rentals. You will need to take a ferry to the island. We took Jet Express which was a ridiculous $33 per person (round trip). The Miller Ferry (slower) is $14 per son (round trip). Middle Bass Island and Kelly’s Island are two islands of interest as well.

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Restrooms/Shower Houses

The shower house buildings were just average campground facilities. The cleanliness was ok. Two stalls were available and four showers. The toilets did not flush very well (low flow). The showers had hot water and good water pressure. Shower stalls were all tile and offered adequate showering and dressing space. However, there was only one hook for towels/clothing. At times, the sinks were partially covered with dead mosquitos and bugs. This is a problem that would be difficult to eradicate given the campground’s location. So, we don’t completely fault the owners. However, it is something for you to be aware of if you choose to camp here.